A Fly's Past
by littlevictories
Summary: This is what I think would happen if Ralph were to meet Jack again years later. Set in Dallas because I have plans for this story. Please Review Critially! (P.S. I don't own Ralph, Sam, Eric or Jack.)


CHaPTeR oNe

The little office in which Ralph sat awaiting his orders was cramped and unkempt. The window was open, allowing a tepid Dallas breeze to blow in from outside, bringing with it the sounds and pungent odor of the street. Ralph wrinkled his nose, closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair resting his feet on the side of the desk. The odor may have been horrible, but at least the breeze felt good … and it reminded Ralph of something, some past feeling… Just then the door burst open with such temerity that it made a few papers flutter off the desk.

"Move your feet!" said Captain Andrews. "I have a very important assignment for you."

In a stubborn show of attitude Ralph merely shifted his position a little before settling back in. The captain sat down in his seat behind the desk and pretended as though he didn't noticed. Taking a deep breath and turning towards the window, Captain Andrews started his speech.

"As you know, the President will be arriving tomorrow to campaign for his upcoming election. President Kennedy has been a great benefactor to this police force, enabling us to purchase…"

"Here we go again," thought Ralph. "He'll plod on through hours without stopping." Ralph's attention phased in and out as the captain continued his practiced, and nearly infallible speech.

"…More to the point," continued Andrews, "I am giving you the assignment of point-man on this."

"Thanks Cappy. As usual I'll be working with Sam and Joel?" Ralph's slang and cadence of speech had already completely changed and you would not know he wasn't born in the States except that the slightest British accent remained.

"Not this time Ralph, this is a big deal. You will be working with a few Feds on this one."

"God da-"

"Watch it Ralph. Here are their 'de-classified' profiles," says the captain, handing Ralph two folders, "It's all I could ascertain at the moment. I will give you Sam, but I need Joel on a different project…"

Ralph opened the folders and flipped through the first one. Almost nothing was there, name, Chloe Mason, and date of birth. It had a short background with parents' names and next of kin; there was a picture included and even though she was no "Miss America" Ralph noted how good-looking she was. Even with the picture it was not this profile that was most important to Ralph, it was the picture in the second one that made Ralph react. The thud of Ralph's fist on the captain's desk could be heard all the way down the waiting room where a woman named Mason sat with an aura of clemency that could only be contrasted by her friend in the seat next to her, Jack Merridew.

"Merridew! How could you let him anywhere near the President!" Ralph's whole body shook with a truculent force.

"It wasn't my decision," said the captain, "and what's wrong? I've never seen you like this before."

"That man is nothing short of an animal!" says Ralph sliding the picture over to Andrews.

"Ralph, he's secret service, he can't be that ba- hang on how do you know him?"

"That man is evil." Spat Ralph virulently. "He's a belligerent ass with a dearth of anything that could come close to a soul."

"Ralph your going to be working with thi-" stared the captain.

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" roared Ralph, once again shaking with rage.

"Well fortunately," says the captain keeping calm "I do not need your assent to make decisions." Suddenly diffident, Ralph sat down, embarrassed by this minor discrepancy. "Furthermore," stated the captain, "You don't have to work with him… it would be ten times easier to turn in your badge and your weapon and…" the lecture was cut short by a knock at the door. "Enter"

A women entered, she was slightly shorter than average, with brown hair and unfeigned brown eyes; she was fallowed closely by a man with blond hair and blue eyes. He walked with great esteem and held himself a little higher than most as he entered.

"Where's the man with the trumpet?" asked Jack Merridew, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Chloe and I could hear that racket all the way down in the waiting room." Ralph gaped; the statement hit him like a ton of bricks. The allusion to a past Ralph had tried so hard to forget was staggeringly obvious. Jack had meant to hurt him; he had been waiting a long time to say those words. Or had he? Could it have been just a coincidence?

"No," thought Ralph, "It's Jack, he planned that." Ralph fired back,

"That was a dirty trick." The words were right, but in Ralph's excitement he allowed a small amount of a malevolent tone to pass his throat. The captain shot him a warning glance and said,

"Please excuse Ralph's behavior, he can be a hot-head sometimes, but he is the best cop on the force."

"Is that so?" asked Jack, "Well then my job is harder already. Police officers who forget their place and disregard protocol do nothing but get in the way."

"Well then," said the Captain, "on that note it will leave you three to get more acquainted. You will be working together after all."

"Sounds good," said Jack never taking his eyes off Ralph. "Chloe, could you leave us too? Go get a coffee or something, Ralph and I have a little catching up to do."

"Would you like one too?" asked Chloe.

"No thank you."

"Ralph how 'bout you?" a small smile on her lips, her voice was to altruistic to be in any way affiliated with this man standing across from Ralph.

"He's fine," said Jack, answering or Ralph. With that, the room emptied and the door was shut. "It's been a long time old friend"

Ralph could not, did not want to believe it. It had been nearly twenty years yes, but the pain was still there. He never thought he would see this man, this boy ever again, not in reality anyway. For this face, a score years younger, is the face that still plagues Ralph's dreams. "You are not my friend," thought Ralph.

"You are not my friend" Ralph said aloud this time.

"Aww, show some clemency Ralph. Let us put the past behind us, how about it?" Unlike Ralph, Jack had no trace of his old accent; the transition was complete.

"Put the past behind us?" thought Ralph, "You killed two boys before reaching puberty. You receive no merci." Then aloud again

"You killed two boys before puberty, you deserve no merci."

"Come, come Ralph, I was a child, I didn't know what I was doing." Defends Jack, looking hurt. "At least that's what everybody says."

"Everybody says?"

"Well not everybody," confessed Jack, "but everyone who counts"

"I see, like psychologists and shrinks." Taunted Ralph.

"Yes, I did see a few shrinks, but so did you Ralph. And in the long run, what do psychologists know? All they do is make themselves feel good by blaming the mother. I was talking about the lawyers, and the judges … the jury."

"So they know what you did and tried you for it."

"Ralph everyone knows what I did! The difference is that they don't know _why_ I did those things. At first even I had no idea what was happening."

"So why did you do it?" asked Ralph.

Jack paused considering his options, then slowly he said, "That was Sam I saw out there wasn't it?" Ralph nodded. "He seems to be fine." States Jack definitely. "How bout Eric, he here too?"

"Eric killed himself six weeks after returning from that wretched island." The warm breeze stopped moving. "Because of you"

"Look Ralph, I can't take back what I did. It's in the past and the past can't be changed."

"No," said Ralph, "But you could make the present more bearable by apologizing. I have yet to hear you say anything about being sorry. I thought that was what you did Jack, you act noble to get what you want. That's what you did on the mountain; you apologized to manipulate us. You weren't truly sorry; all you wanted was that wretched pig. So why not say your sorry now Jack? Everyone wants to hear it, why clam up now?"

A fly flew in through the window and landed on the desk next to Ralph as Jack took a long time before answering, as if he were considering his words very carefully. Finally he said, "You wouldn't understand" and turned to leave.

"That's not good enough!" Shouted Ralph, his face red with anger.

Jack's hand hovered over the doorknob. Jack turned and strode up to Ralph face-to-face, or as close as he could get, for he was a few inches shorter than Ralph. Suddenly Jack raised his hand and in one smooth, quick motion he smashed the fly.

"Because sometimes Ralph, we're better off without certain 'obstacles'. Sometimes Ralph, More of the group survives by ridding itself of the stragglers. Sometimes Ralph … things are weaker and don't deserve to live."


End file.
